Cyclamen coum Album

Cyclamen coum Album is a form of Cos Island Cyclamen with very bright white flowers. It is one of the most resistant species and the easiest to grow. Very variable in appearance, there are also lovely forms with pink flowers, all invariably adorned with a small purple spot at the base. Quite hardy, this lovely plant flowers in winter close to the ground, bringing some colour to a deserted garden. Its beautiful small round foliage, dark green and more or less marbled with silver-grey, appears in autumn and persists until late spring and then disappears and goes into dormancy in summer. Install it in partial shade or shade under trees, along paths or in shaded rockeries, where it will slowly spread to form a charming carpet.

Cyclamen coum is a small perennial plant with a tuberous root belonging to the Primulaceae family. It is not native to the island of Kos, Greece, but rather to the mountains of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Lebanon, corresponding to the region of Eastern Cilicia, where it is generally found in shaded areas. This small species measures about 10 cm (4 in) in height.

The tubers of the white Cyclamen coum are rounded and compressed, measuring up to 6.5 cm (3 in) in diameter and are covered with a smooth and velvety 'skin' as well as roots coming from their centre and base. The foliage generally develops in autumn, after a dry summer. In cool and humid climates, it may sometimes only appear at the same time as the flowers, in January-February. The reniform (kidney-shaped) leaves measure about 4 cm (2 in) in diameter. The colour of the leaves can be a shiny dark green, a silver-grey, or show silver-green macules. Their undersides are coloured purple. As soon as the soil dries out a little, in June, the foliage disappears and the plant goes into a restive state.

Flowering occurs from January to April depending on the climate, following the flowering of Cyclamen cilicicum and Naples cyclamen in autumn. The pointed flower buds, initially lying on the ground, stand upright on reddish peduncles. Each flower, which is quite stout and measures 1 to 2 cm (1 in) long, is composed of 5 rounded white petals, curved backwards. They show a small purple spot at the base of the petals. After pollination, the flower gives way to a small round fruit, with the floral stem spiraling to allow the fruit to come into contact with the ground. Ants, which enjoy their sweet flesh, disperse the seeds.

Plant Cyclamen coum Album, with its pink shapes, as a carpet. They will multiply on their own over the years, forming unforgettable carpets in those shaded and dry areas of the garden that are difficult to design. It is a perfect plant for enhancing the bases of deciduous trees in a woodland soil. It is resistant to cold, but its tuber fears excessive humidity, both in winter and summer, and does not tolerate completely drying out in summer. It will find its place in a partially shaded rockery that is not too dry, in the company of Anemone blanda and liverworts, for example. To enjoy a double flowering, mix them with Naples cyclamen that bloom in autumn.